So there you are, at the ASA meetings, with an extra day or two on either side. Sure there are a lot of places you could go; explorations abound in Southern California. But admit it, you know you are being pulled, maybe by your kids, maybe by the kid inside of you, to the gates of the place that turned Anaheim from a sleepy community surrounded by orange groves into a raging and raving mini-metropolis. Just like all those sports superstars, you are going to Disneyland.

Now if you want to go to the world's first theme (as opposed to amusement) park and battle the crowds while trying to have fun, do not let me discourage you. In fact, I would strongly encourage you to pick up a copy of Bob Sehlinger's Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2001 in order to get a jump on the rest of the tourists. But if you want a whirlwind tour of the park from a sociological perspective, and a few insights garnered from my experiences teaching a course on "The Sociology of the Magic Kingdom" at Chapman University in Orange (just down the road from Anaheim), then grab my hand and hang on...

Council Recommends Reinstatement of Committee on Committees

As part of the 1998 reorganization of ASA governance, members approved the elimination of the Committee on Committees (COC) based on recommendation from Council. At the 1999 Annual Meeting, a number of members asked to revisit the decision. Concerns were expressed that there was inadequate time to discuss this decision prior to the vote and that COC, while ineffective in some ways, did provide a venue for democratic participation in the governance of the Association. (COC was elected by the membership to recommend nominees to Council for other committee service.)

Council Recommends Decoupling Dues and Journal Subscriptions

At its meeting in February, ASA Council unanimously voted to recommend to the membership a new dues structure that would decouple dues and journal subscriptions. This recommendation came to Council after a year of study by the Committee on the Executive Office and Budget (EOB) with review and support from the Committee on Publications. For members who choose to take the same number of journals, this change would essentially be cost neutral.